Aeronca 7AC Champion vs Piper J-3 Cub

Side-by-side specs, range, and operating costs.

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Aeronca 7AC Champion
35.0 × 21.5 ft 7.0 ft tall
1× Piston Conventional Unpressurized
Piper J-3 Cub
35.2 × 22.4 ft 6.7 ft tall
1× Piston Conventional Unpressurized

Flight Profile

Service ceiling, range, and climb rate.

Tap legend to isolate

Arc represents the climb-cruise-descent profile based on published service ceiling and range. Climb rate annotated on ascent. FL180 (18,000 ft) shown for reference.

Mission Performance

Stall, approach, cruise, range, ceiling and climb: best values are at the top.

Mission performance specifications
Specification Aeronca 7AC ChampionPiper J-3 Cub
Stall speed 33 kt33 kt
Approach speed 43 kt45 kt
Cruise speed 74 kt65 kt
Range 175 nm191 nm
Service ceiling 12500 ft11500 ft
Rate of climb 370 fpm450 fpm
Fuel burn 4.5 gph3.5 gph

Each axis is scaled independently across the compared aircraft and printed in its own units; every vertex sits at the published figure. Higher is better on all axes: Stall, Approach and Fuel Burn are inverted (lower = higher). A missing figure breaks the line at that axis.

Fuel Burn & Range

Range, endurance, and what the fuel costs by the hour.

Aeronca 7AC Champion Avgas
4.5 gph
Baseline
175 nm range 16.4 nm/gal 13 gal usable $29 fuel/hr 2h 53m endurance
Aeronca 7AC Champion: 4.5 gallons per hour at cruise, 175 nautical mile published range, 2 hour 53 minute endurance, 16.4 nautical miles per gallon.
Piper J-3 Cub Avgas
3.5 gph
Baseline
191 nm range 18.6 nm/gal 12 gal usable $23 fuel/hr 3h 25m endurance
Piper J-3 Cub: 3.5 gallons per hour at cruise, 191 nautical mile published range, 3 hour 25 minute endurance, 18.6 nautical miles per gallon.
Avgas range each cell = 1 hr of cruise · width scales with speed

Bars show published still-air range. Endurance is usable fuel divided by the published cruise burn. Estimates only. Always verify against the POH.

Runway Performance

Density altitude adjusted estimates

Outside Air Temp
0°F57°F115°F
Field Elevation
SL4,0008,000 ft
Density Altitude

Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle

Landing ground roll

Base distance DA penalty
Scale: 6,000 ft

FAA 10%/1,000 ft DA rule of thumb (FAA-H-8083-25B). Turboprops and jets are less sensitive in practice. Always verify against the POH.

Estimated Operating Costs

Scale:
Aeronca 7AC Champion Avgas
$66 /hr
Baseline
Aeronca 7AC Champion: $66 per flight hour — fuel $29, maintenance and reserve $37.
Piper J-3 Cub Avgas
$59 /hr
Baseline
Piper J-3 Cub: $59 per flight hour — fuel $23, maintenance and reserve $36.
Aeronca 7AC Champion Piston
$3,398 /yr Baseline
Aeronca 7AC Champion: $3,398 per year — insurance $701, hangar $840, annual inspection $1,857.
Piper J-3 Cub Piston
$6,773 /yr Baseline
Piper J-3 Cub: $6,773 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $5,573, annual inspection $1,200.

Estimates only. Costs vary by location, pilot profile, and market conditions. See individual aircraft pages for source notes.

Capability & limits

Each bar stacks your selected occupants against full fuel and the aircraft's useful-load limit (the black line). The open gap between them is spare payload. Add an occupant and the gap closes; once it's gone, fuel has to give.

lb

+ lb / pax

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1
Aeronca 7AC Champion
2 / 2 seats 13 / 13 gal fuel 402 lb wet payload 480 lb useful 1,220 lb MTOW
Piper J-3 Cub
2 / 2 seats 12 / 12 gal fuel 383 lb wet payload 455 lb useful 1,220 lb MTOW

Occupants at 190 + 30 lb each. Fuel at 6.7 lb/gal jet-A, 6.0 lb/gal avgas.

Payload-Range Map

Origin: · two fingers to move map

lb

+ lb / pax

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1

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